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US 7,921,681 B2Granted
Washing-drying/drying machine
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorsHee Tae Lim, Sang Wook Hong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A washing-drying/drying machine includes a tub mounted in a cabinet; a drum rotatably disposed in the tub for receiving laundry; a cooling water supply unit for supplying cooling water to condense moisture in air discharged from the drum; and a condensing plate mounted between the drum and an inner wall of the tub for receiving the cooling water to condense the moisture in the air.
Claims23
A washing-drying/drying machine comprising:
- a tub mounted in a cabinet;
- a drum rotatably disposed in the tub for receiving laundry;
- a cooling water supply unit for supplying cooling water to condense moisture in air discharged from the drum;
- and
- a condensing plate mounted between the drum and an inner wall of the tub for receiving the cooling water to condense the moisture in the air, the condensing plate having a first and second surfaces, wherein the first and second surfaces face opposite directions,
- wherein a first flow passage formed by the condensing plate between the first surface and the drum is configured to be larger than a second flow passage formed by the condensing plate between the second surface and the inner wall of the tub,
- wherein the air discharged from the drum flows across the first surface of the condensing plate through the first flow passage, and the cooling water flows across the second surface of the condensing plate through the second flow passage, wherein cooling water flowing across the second surface of the condensing plate to cool the condensing plate causes condensation of moisture in the air discharged from the drum as the air flows across the first surface of the condensing plate, and
- wherein the condensing plate has a main body, the main body is spaced apart from the inner wall of the tub by a gap, and the gap between the inner wall of the tub and the main body is less than a predetermined value such that the cooling water is collected between the condensing plate and the inner wall of the tub due to surface tension, and the collected cooling water falls down when new cooling water is introduced into a space between the condensing plate and the inner wall of the tub.
5 more elements
A washing-drying/drying machine comprising:
- a fan and a heater to generate hot air;
- a rotatable drum in which laundry is placed to be dried;
- a tub having an inlet and an outlet to allow the hot air to flow in and out, the tub having a cooling water supply hole;
- a duct connected to the inlet and outlet of the tub to circulate the hot air from the outlet to the inlet;
- and
- a plate positioned between the drum and the tub, and attached to an inner circumferential surface of the tub to form a first flow passage between the plate and the drum and a second flow passage between the plate and the tub, wherein a first distance from the plate to the drum is configured to be greater than a second distance from the plate to the tub, and wherein cooling water from the cooling water supply hole flows through the second flow passage, and the hot air flows through the first flow passage, and
- wherein the plate is positioned a predetermined distance from the inner circumferential surface of the tub such that the cooling water is held in the second flow passage by surface tension of the water such that additional water introduced into the second flow passage causes the held cooling water to flow out of the second flow passage.
4 more elements
A washing-drying/drying machine comprising:
- a fan and a heater to generate hot air;
- a rotatable drum configured to receive items to be dried;
- a tub having an inlet and an outlet to allow the hot air to flow in and out, the tub having a cooling water supply hole;
- a duct connected to the inlet and outlet of the tub to circulate the hot air from the outlet to the inlet;
- and
- a plate positioned between the drum and the tub, and attached to an inner circumferential surface of the tub, wherein cooling water from the cooling water supply hole is configured to flow between the plate and the inner circumferential surface of the tub and the hot air is configured to flow between the plate and the drum to cause moisture in the hot air to condense on a surface of the plate facing the drum, and
- wherein the plate is attached to the tub at a predetermined distance from the tub that causes cooling water between the plate and the inner circumferential surface of the tub to be held by surface tension such that additional water introduced between the plate and the inner circumferential surface of the tub causes the held cooling water to flow.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.